Fed by a literature overview and survey results from the ALINA project, the ideal Next Generation Classroom (NGC) and matching didactic methods will be explored during this workshop. Furthermore, ways to stimulate teaching and management staff to facilitate, create and use these ideal classrooms will be sought.
Abstract (500 words maximum, not including references if used)
Current research literature in higher education clearly shows an evolution towards innovative teaching and learning methods such as active and collaborative learning, hereby proving the effectivity of these methods in comparison to more traditional lecturing [1, 2]. At the same time, Next Generation Classrooms (NGC) have been appearing worldwide, where teachers and students can interact with each other in a flexible way [3]. However, the link between innovative teaching methods and learning spaces is often missing. Additionally, not all teaching staff are aware of the didactic and organizational possibilities of NGC to support, enrich and empower the learning process. Moreover, the traditional design involved in new buildings and refurbishments, often focusing on classical lecture halls, forces teaching staff to use traditional didactic methods. In Flanders this has led to a vicious cycle: the lack of use of innovative teaching practices reduces the demand for new and flexible rooms, which reinforces the traditional habits of teachers. The Flanders-wide project ALINA aims to break this vicious cycle by bridging the gap between didactic methods and learning space and creating a framework and inspirational material. Hereby ALINA wants to inspire and change the management and teaching staff of the University of Leuven and the associated university colleges.
This workshop will give a literature overview on this topic, together with the results of an expert meeting and a broad survey of Flemish teaching staff. This survey shows for instance a tremendous demand of NGC, one that is not met by the current educational facilities. Fed by several examples from all over the world, the ideal classroom will then be designed by the participants. This involves a brainstorm on different aspects such as the design, size, acoustics, light, furniture, technology and atmosphere of classrooms. Furthermore, the possibilities of different didactic methods in the ideal classroom will be discussed. Finally, the workshop aims at finding methods to break the vicious cycle mentioned above. How can we stimulate both teaching and management staff to facilitate, create and use these ideal classrooms?
[1] L. Deslauriers, E. Schelew en C. Wieman, Improved learning in a large-enrollment physics class, Science 332, 862 (2011).
[2] M. Prince, Does active learning work? A review of the research, J. Engr. Education 93(3), 223-231 (2004).
[3] D.G. Oblinger, Learning spaces, Educause (2006).